Jason Belmonte: From Outcast To Bowling Prodigy | E75

My guest today is Jason Belmonte, the best bowler in the history of this sport. He has won a record number of 15 major championships and has been named PBA Player of the Year 7 times. He is also the second person in PBA history that has won the Super Slam, winning all 5 PBA major titles in the same year. 01:30 Off days during world tours- It is brutally hard to compete- Tournaments are exhausting for both mind and body- Days off are mostly for sleep and relaxation 04:17 The first event outside of Australia- At 16, he traveled to Malaysia on a mini tour- Bowling conditions in Asia- That was the catalyst for understanding     10:35 The preparation for tournaments- Tries to leave Australia as late as he can- Most people like to play in the middle part of the lane- Bowling in a new tournament is a puzzle that you need to solve- Japan bowling centers 17:36 Types of lane surfaces and bowling balls- Synthetic lanes are made of tough plastic    - Bowling balls are very similar to golf balls    - Jason carries 20 balls on his tours- Bowling balls weigh up to 16 pounds- Materials and designs vary depending on the goal 26:32 Jason’s childhood- His parents built the bowling center after he was born- He started bowling at 18 months- The ball was too heavy so he had his own way of bowling- That difference gave him the advantage 31:16 Norm Duke and the Beast- Norm Duke is one of Jason’s favorite bowlers- Norm Duke’s ball was called the Beast- Got the Beast from his parents- Met Norm and competed against him 34:50 The culture of bowling- The popularity of bowling shirts, shoes, and other apparel- Breaking the stereotype of the burger-eating and beer-drinking bowler 39:02 Focusing on a bowling career- As a kid, besides bowling, played rugby and cricket- Realized he had to commit to one- Quit his job at Blockbuster- Dad fired him, his safety net was gone 45:07 What did Jason do with his first prize money- The first thing he bought was a Nokia 5110- Invested the money into his career- Losing and not generating income- Became incredibly analytical of his gameAbout Randall Kaplan: Randall Kaplan is a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, executive coach, co-founder of Akamai Technologies, founder and CEO of JUMP Investors, and host of In Search of Excellence. Through his Extreme Preparation™ methodology, he helps founders, executives, business owners, and ambitious professionals improve strategy, communication, decision-making, and execution.Coaching and Staying Connected:1-on-1 Coaching | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | LinkedIn | X